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"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard British Airways flight 178, nonstop service from New York to London. We hope you enjoy your flight."

Hermione and Ginny sat staring, blearily, at the flight attendant giving pre-take off instructions. Both girls were puffy-eyed and tousle-haired. The night had been a long one and their flight home was leaving a bit too early for their liking.

"I told you we should have slept last night. Now look at us, for heaven's sake, we're still wearing our pajamas!" Hermione watched as Ginny's head snapped up. She had been nodding off and her head was drooping.

"Well, we have the whole bloody flight to sleep. Besides, we couldn't have slept last night if we had wanted to. Now be quiet and quit moving so much." Ginny's stomach was beginning to churn. This was only her second airplane ride and she thoroughly disliked it. Floo powder and portkeys were much easier on the stomach.

"What do you think they...oh Ginny get off!" Hermione pushed Ginny's head off of her shoulder.

"Oh, Hermione Granger, you just wait until we get back to school and I can hex you properly!"

"Oh, shush! Now what do you think they talked about last night?" Hermione was of course, referring to Professor Lupin and Nicole Bombeck.

Ginny yawned widely. "Well, I'm pretty sure it involved Snape, why she left Britain, and why she has been hiding in America. We went through all of this last night and besides, I thought we were sworn to secrecy about this. I don't know about you Hermione but the last time I was sworn to secrecy, it meant no talking about the subject...period!" Ginny pulled the pillow from Hermione's lap and turned away from her.

Hermione looked away from Ginny. "Yes, I suppose you're right." Yes, they probably discussed all of those things, but she was desperate to find out the answer to the ultimate question. Was Nicole going to return to the wizarding world?

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Remus and Nicole sat facing each other. The night was fading and dawn was breaking over the city. Neither spoke, there was so much to say yet they couldn't find the words.

Remus shifted in his seat. Facing his sister after all the years wasn't quite as joyful as he had once hoped. Her face showed much regret and she looked as if she would love nothing more than to run as far away from him as possible. How could the woman sitting in front of him at this moment be the same little girl he had shared his childhood with? How could she sit here and look at him as if she wished to never see him again?

Nicole tried to keep her face neutral. She knew very well she wanted to run. By the way he looked at her, he knew this. The brother that she loved so much, but yet had hidden from for 16 years, was sitting right in front of her. He would never understand her reasons, she was sure of it. He was the brave one, not her. When he finally spoke, she nearly fell from her seat.

"Nicole, there is no point in avoiding the subject. I want to know why, and I want to know why right now." His voice carried the mixture of harsh tones and soft syllables that he had used on her many times before.

"Remus, it's not that simple. I can't just give you one reason and be done. There is so much to explain, it would take hours!" Nicole realized that her voice was rising in fear.

"I have as long as it takes. You and I are going to sit here until I am satisfied that you have given me the whole story. I am in no hurry, I assure you."

Nicole looked around her. It would be so simple to escape. "No it wouldn't. He's not stupid; he'll have expected you to run." She sighed and looked down at her hands on the table. Not meeting his eyes, she said, "I'm sure you know a few details. Tell me what you know and I will fill in the blank areas."

"No, I won't play games with you Cole! Now tell me everything from the beginning! And that means you running off and marrying that...that..." Remus broke off as he saw her flinch when he began to yell.

Nicole looked up. "Fine, you always were stubborn!" She was beginning to feel anger now. "I did run off to marry him. You don't understand though. You never did!" Suddenly realization dawned on her. "How did you find out? I figured once I was...well when I was thought to be...well I figured he wouldn't have told anyone."

"He told me after your, well what we presumed was your funeral. He came to me and told me."

Nicole wasn't sure she had understood. "But after what happened that night, why would he want anyone to know?" She was talking to the table, now.

"What are you talking about? What night are you talking about? What happened?"

"Remus, when we married I swear I didn't know what he was. I never imagined him going over. I never felt the way you and James and the rest of your group did about him. I thought he was a good person underneath it all. All right, maybe this would make more sense to start at the beginning."

Remus nodded his head in agreement.

"Alright, you remember in fourth year, what happened?" Remus nodded.

"Well, I don't know what made him do it, but it was him." She saw surprise come over her brother, but he did not speak.

 "I knew that for him to do that for me, he couldn't be as bad as you all made him seem. I began to talk to him and I learned that he wasn't what he seemed. We kept growing closer, but I knew what you and your friends would do if you found out. We kept our relationship a secret from everyone. It went on that way until I left school. Finally, I had had enough sneaking around and hiding. I wanted the whole world to know and I didn't care what anyone thought. I was hiding too much from people that I loved and I knew something had to give. I was hiding my work for the Order from Severus, and I was hiding my feelings for him from you all, and it was tearing me apart! So I told Severus that I didn't want to hide what we had. He agreed and we decided that the only way for everyone to accept us was to show how much we really cared for each other. We decided to get married. We left that night and went to Bulgaria. Severus's family was close friends with the Minister there and he agreed to marry us and keep it private for awhile.

"When I came back I wanted to shout it out for everyone to hear. I knew you would be so angry with me though. You were gone though and I wasn't able to tell you, I had to wait. I decided that the safest time to tell you was during an Order meeting. I knew that Dumbledore would keep you all from killing me. Of course timing has never been my strong suit. Before I could tell anyone Dumbledore sent Benjy and me on a mission. He had received intelligence that some of the Death-Eaters were holding meetings in an abandoned store in Hogsmeade. We were sent to stake out the building; however we didn't realize that it was a set-up. After a week of watching fake meetings, we were attacked. We barely had time to react. I was trying to hold them off while Benjy was trying to contact help. Spells were flying in every direction and I could hardly see. One of Benjy's stunners hit a man and he fell, grabbing at the man next to him. The man's mask was torn off and I saw his face. It was Severus. I was so scared that I pretended to fall and rolled behind a shelf to keep him from seeing me. I didn't know what to do, but I knew I couldn't let him know that I was a member of the Order. I was so scared. I heard them coming closer and blasting the place apart. I saw Benjy go down and heard them shout that there was another. I did the only thing I could. I knew that there was no getting out and I refused to become a prisoner of Voldemort. I wanted do die on my own terms. I was angry and decided to just level the whole place. I wanted to take them all with me, even Severus. I don't know why but the spell didn't work quite how I wanted it to.

"I'm not sure what happened after that. I woke up in a field somewhere, I still don't know where. I walked for a few days until I found a copy of the Daily Prophet. It told of the raid and mine and Benjy's death. I read down the list of dead Death-Eaters, but I didn't see Severus's name on it. I knew that I couldn't just go back. I was presumed dead and I knew that I would be marked if I returned. I decided that the best thing was for me to just disappear. I didn't dare contact you, I was afraid that my letter would be intercepted."

Remus sat staring at her. "How did you end up here?"

"A woman took me in and helped me. I told her that I had run away from my home because my husband had tried to kill me. She brought me to America and found me a job. Then I just ended up staying here." She looked back down at her hands. "I was a coward. I only thought of saving myself. You were always the brave one; I mean that's why you were a Gryffindor. I was a Ravenclaw; everyone knows we're only the brains. We aren't courageous in the slightest. Please Remus, forgive me. I've lived with this for so long that it has eaten me up inside." She wiped at the tears streaming down her face.

They sat in silence for awhile. Finally, Cole spoke up. "What's happened since I've been gone? What happened with Voldemort? He was defeated wasn't he? He can't still be at large; I doubt you would be sitting here with me if he were. And what about Lily; tell me everything. I've missed her so much."

Remus gave a great sigh and looked at his sister. "Cole, I don't even know where to begin. There is a lot to discuss; there is a lot you need to know." He gave another sigh and began to tell her all of the events of the past 16 years.

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The taxi pulled out of the driveway. Hermione and Ginny pulled their luggage onto the front step of the large house and leaned against each other. The lights from the street lamps lit the front of the house as Mr. Granger unlocked the door.

Once all four were inside, Mrs. Granger turned to the girls. "Well, Ginny do you know when your parents will be coming for the both of you? We do hope it isn't anytime soon, I must say. It's been lovely having Hermione home and you are an absolute delight."

Ginny blushed and said, "Well, no. Mum said she would send an owl along when we got back from the States. And I'll bet she has a charm on the house to let her know the minute we step foot inside it."

The Grangers laughed but looked uneasy at the idea of someone placing a charm on their house.

Both girls collapsed onto the twin beds in Hermione's room. "Well I am absolutely exhausted. It's so great to be home."

"I know, I can't wait to see Mum and Dad again. Hey Herms, do you have more of that medicine that makes your stomach feel better? I've been in a right state since we got off that horrible airplane. I'll take Floo powder and portkeys any day."

Hermione laughed and pulled the small bottle of pills from her pocket. "Don't feel bad, I don't like flying either. That's why I have to have these." Hermione was about to hand over the bottle when a sharp rap on her window made her drop it.

Both girls looked at the window, slightly alarmed. "It's Pig! I'll bet anything he's brought a letter from Mum!" Ginny jumped from her bed and pulled open the window. "Oh, calm down you stupid bird! Let me have the letter! I swear Ron's right about you; you are absolutely annoying!"

Hermione laughed as Ginny grabbed Pig from the air just as she had seen Ron do many times. Ginny tore off the letter and handed it to Hermione.

"Read it out, I'll get him some water." Ginny turned to the bathroom and filled a cup with water.

"It's from your mum alright. She says that she and you dad will be around the day after tomorrow to pick us up. Oh, dear..."

Ginny stuck her head out of the door to look at Hermione. "What? What's wrong?"

Hermione looked up at her. "We're going back to Grimmauld Place for the summer. And Harry and Ron will be joining us there in a few days."

Ginny didn't see what was wrong with that. "So? It's still the headquarters. And after all, the entire place does belong to Harry now."

"Yes, but we haven't been back there since...well...since Sirius..." Hermione let her voice trail off as comprehension dawned on Ginny's face.

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that. Well, Harry has to face it sometime. But now you mention it, I'd rather just be going back home than going there. The old place is creepy, and that old bat always screaming at us. Still can't believe it belongs to Harry, I don't think he can either. Did you see his face when Dumbledore read out that will?"

Hermione frowned slightly. "I know, it was really weird listening to everything that had been said. It was good that Dumbledore had him write it all out, though"

Both girls sat thinking about the day they had heard Dumbledore telling them all the contents of Sirius' wishes for his estate. They all had been in for very big surprises.
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"Lily...and...James? And poor Harry having to go through all of that! And Remus...is he really back?"

"Yes it's all true, Cole. Though I wish I could say it wasn't." Remus had told Cole everything. He had told her of the Potter's murder, Sirius and Peter, Harry's return to the wizarding world, Voldemort's rebirth, and finally of the entire events of the previous few months.

"I can't believe that Peter betrayed them! I am ashamed to admit it now, but I always suspected Sirius. When we started suspecting a traitor amongst us, I immediately thought of him. I know I'm not the only one, though." At this she eyed Remus.

"I know, Cole. I also was suspicious of him. The funny thing is Sirius suspected me all along. Funny how two people, who were once the best of friends, could so suddenly suspect each other. Well, none of that matters now." Remus stopped and looked down at the table.

Cole reached out and touched her brother's arm. "I'm sorry Remus. I know it must have been hard to lose him; especially after James and Lily dying. I have to admit, though he was never one of my favorite people, I did like Sirius. Of course that was before I fancied him a spy." She gave a tiny laugh as she remembered the Sirius she knew from school. "Troublemaker if ever there was one. How you fell into a group like that I will never know. I never imagined you to become friends with havoc-wreakers like James and Sirius."

"Yes, well I never imagined you marrying someone like Snape. Especially with someone like Sirius chasing after you." Remus tried not to laugh as he watched his sister looked mortified.

"Don't you start on that again! We've been through this before. Besides I swore when I got into Hogwarts that I wasn't going to do anything that made you happy, if I could help it."

At this Remus turned serious. "Cole, there is something I need to ask of you. Now just listen to me before you argue." Cole had just looked very alarmed. "Now that Voldemort has returned, we need every single person on our side that we can get. Cole you were the only one that was ever able to get close to breaking through the Unforgivables."

Cole held up a hand to stop him. "Remus, I wasn't the only one. I had Dumbledore's help on it. I know what you are about to ask and I can't do it. You know very well that I can't go back. Severus will know what I am now. And if Voldemort is back then I guarantee Severus is right there beside him."

Cole was surprised when Remus laughed. "Cole, he is on our side now. When he thought you had died in that attack, he knew he had to get out. He turned spy for the Order about a week after you're...er...funeral."

Cole's mouth fell open. She couldn't believe it. "How do you know? Are you sure?"

"Yes, Cole, Dumbledore trusts him. And you know if Dumbledore trust's someone, then we have no reason to doubt them. But, let's get back to what I was talking about before. Cole, we need you. At least just come and talk to Dumbledore; I'm sure he can do something to make you feel better about it. Cole I'm asking you, as your brother, please come back home where you belong."

Cole stared at her brother, thinking.